1 . Bangladesh's floating gardens, built to grow food during flood seasons, could offer a continuous solution for parts of the world which are likely to suffer from flooding because of climate change, a new study has found.
Bangladesh's floating gardens began hundreds of years ago. The gardens are made from native plants that float in the rivers and operate almost like rafts (筏), rising and filling with the waters. Historically, they were used to continue growing food during rainy seasons when rivers were filled with water.
The farmers layer the plants about three feet deep, creating a version of raised-bed gardens that float in the water. Then, they plant vegetables inside those rafts. As the raft-plants rot away, they release nutrients, which help feed the vegetable plants.
But as climate change affected the volume of water in those rivers, the researchers wanted to understand whether Bangladesh's floating gardens could be a continuous farming practice. They interviewed farming families and found strong evidence that floating gardens provide stability, both in the amount of food available to feed rural populations and in a farming family's income.
They found that farmers typically use hybrid (杂交) seeds, which must be repurchased each year, to grow a diverse range of vegetables in the floating gardens. The gardens are also sensitive to pests, so farmers end up spending some money on both pesticides and fertilizers. But even with those expenses, they found, benefits outweighed costs. One farmer told the research team that he earns up to four times as much money from the gardens as from traditional rice fields.
However, before gaining profits, farmers often take out high-interest loans (贷款) to cover the investment costs of filling the beds and stocking them with plants. Luckily; there are also lower-interest loans from responsible government or non-governmental organizations, which could ease that burden.
1. How do vegetable plants grow according to the text?| A．By absorbing nutrition from raft-plants. | B．By taking shelter from climate change. |
| C．By living together with hybrid seeds. | D．By moving up and down with raised beds. |
| A．“Our life becomes tough when rivers flood.” | B．“Fewer vegetables are planted when water rises.” |
| C．“We harvest much more food during rainy seasons.” | D．“Climate change has little influence on our income.” |
| A．Affected. | B．Brought. | C．Beat. | D．Equaled. |
| A．A solution to climate problem has been found. | B．The gardens are built with rotted native plants. |
| C．Farmers earn more from traditional rice fields. | D．Low-interest loans lighten the stress of farmers. |
2 . Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called "Sweetest Day". Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.
1. What group of people is the Sweetest Day intended for?| A．The sick. | B．The aged. | C．The orphans. | D．All the people. |
| A．Ignored. | B．Forgotten. | C．Remembered. | D．Loved. |
| A．He felt lonely and wanted to be noticed. |
| B．He wanted to be helpful to those who need love. |
| C．He needed someone to give out some small gifts. |
| D．He was helped by his friends and neighbors. |
| A．A gift is always needed on Sweetest Day. |
| B．Only those sick and children need to be remembered. |
| C．Sweetest Day is limited to families and friends. |
| D．It's a chance for everyone to express your care. |
3 . Learning a second language is tough at any age. Now, in a new study, scientist have found out the exact age after which your chances of reaching fluency（流利）in a second language seem to plummet:10.
The study published in the journal Cognition, found that it's "nearly impossible" for language learners to reach native-level（母语水平）fluency if they start learning a second language after age 10. "It turns out you're still learning fast," says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne. "It's just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old," People who start a few years after age 10 may still become quite good at a language, the authors say, but they are unlikely to become fluent.
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children's brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they're better able to adapt and respond to new information. Kids may also be more willing to try new things than adults are. Their comparatively new understanding of their native language may also be advantageous.
These findings may seem discouraging, but it was inspiring for scientists to learn that the key period for fluent language learning might be longer than previously thought. Some scientists believed that the window begins to close shortly after birth, while others made it longer to very early childhood. Compared with those judgments-age 17 or 18 —when language learning ability start to drop off—seems relatively old.
For this study, the researchers created an online test promising to guess people's native language and home country based on their responses to English grammar questions. Almost 670,000 people took it, giving the researchers huge amounts of data from English speakers of many ages and backgrounds. Examining the responses and grammar mistakes allowed them to made unusually exact judgments about language learning.
1. What does the underlined word "plummet" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Drop sharply. | B．Increase greatly. |
| C．Appear gradually. | D．Double suddenly. |
| A．Adults tend to perform badly in learning a second language. |
| B．Children are at an advantage in acquiring a new language. |
| C．All these new findings are quite discouraging for scientists. |
| D．People have different key periods for mastering a language. |
| A．The purpose of the study. | B．The findings of the study. |
| C．The subject of the study. | D．The process of the study. |
| A．Kids Are Better at Learning New Languages |
| B．Adults Can't Learn a Second Language Well |
| C．Never Say Die When Learning a New Language |
| D．Better to Learn a New Language Before Age 10 |
4 . Todd wore the same clothes every day for the first three weeks of school. He was laughed at because of this. But there was little Todd could do. His mother simply couldn’t afford to buy him new clothes. Two of the kids laughing at Todd were Garrett and Graham, a pair of football players. But over time, they realized that their disparaging words seemed to be slowly destroying Todd’s spirit.
“I felt like I needed to do something,” Graham told CBS News. So he and Garrett created a plan. They went home and hunted through their own drawers and closets. The next day at school, they met Todd at their third-period class and asked him to come into the hall. Todd was understandably worried about being called out by the larger boys.
“He wasn’t smiling or anything, and I was like, ‘I think this is going to make you smile,’” Graham says. “I told him, ‘We’re in the same third period, and I apologize for laughing at you, and I want to give something to you to make it up’” He then handed Todd a large bag. Inside were clean shirts and shorts, as well as a brand-new pair of sneakers.
Todd was wild with joy. “I was very happy,” he told CBS News. “Shocked, completely.” And Todd got much more than some new clothes. He no longer sits alone at lunch. Now he cats with his new friends, Garrett and Graham.
Garrett and Graham say they just want to inspire others to help those in need.
1. What can we know about Todd?| A．He came from a poor family. | B．He wasn’t used to school life. |
| C．His taste for clothes was single. | D．His behavior brought others laughter. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Encouraging. | C．Unkind. | D．Selfish. |
| A．Garrett beat Graham in a competitive game. |
| B．Garrett and Graham became friendly to him. |
| C．Garrett and Graham apologized to each other. |
| D．Garrett and Graham gave away clothes on TV. |
| A．Many hands make light work. | B．The early bird catches the worm. |
| C．Where there’s a will, there’s a way. | D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
5 . Candy comes in many flavors. Some taste like fruit. Some taste like flowers. Some are chewy, like taffy (太妃糖) and gum. Hard candies are, well. hard! So, they last a long time.
But, in spoken English, there are some types of candy that you cannot eat. For example, you can’t eat eye candy. Eye candy is a person-man or woman-who is very good-looking. So, looking at this person is a treat for the eye, just like candy is a treat for the taste buds.
Do you hear of candy coat? Of course it is not a coat made of candy. But you can say I don’t candy coat the truth. What does candy-coating something mean? Well, some pills are covered with a coat of thin, sweet candy. The coating makes swallowing the pill easier, and it may hide a bad taste. So, candy coating a difficult truth or situation means you don’t directly discuss its bad parts.
After talking about candy you may want to eat some candies. However, some people dislike things that are very sweet, especially adults. But even if you do not like candy, you can still be called a kid in a candy store. This expression means a person is very happy to do something or to simply be somewhere. Imagine a child going from one candy display to the next, not knowing which candy to choose!
Talking about children brings us to another expression: as easy as taking candy from a baby. Think about a small, helpless baby holding a piece of candy. Taking it would be very easy—mean, but easy. So, use this expression when you are talking about something that may be simple to do, but probably not right.
1. What kind of girl can be described as “eye candy”?| A．Beautiful | B．Optimistic |
| C．Hardworking | D．Warmhearted |
| A．Making. | B．Taking. |
| C．Selling. | D．Testing. |
| A．Hard candies. | B．Candy coat. |
| C．A kid in a candy store. | D．As easy as taking candy from a baby. |
| A．Candy. Enjoy It or Avoid It | B．Various Candies in English |
| C．The Best Candy in the World | D．Candies’ Different Flavors |
6 . Waste heat from one of the London Underground’s lines will be used to warm over a thousand homes in the UK capital this winter. The warm air will be channeled from the Northern Line to support the London Borough of Islington’s district heating.
Named Bunhill 2,the heat network is a joint project between Islington Council, Transport for London and engineering firm Ramboll and is considered as the first of its kind in Europe. The council hopes the system will make London more self-sufficient (自给自足的) in energy, cut carbon emissions and reduce heating bills for people.Meanwhile, tube passengers on the underground can also expect cooler air.
District heating, also known as heat networks, is the supply of heat and hot water from a central source to a group of buildings. The Bunhill 2 district heating system is the second phase (阶段) of Islington Council’s Bunhill Heat and Power scheme-a heat network in Islington that was established in 2013 to warm approximately 700 homes.
The network currently channels heat created in the Bunhill Energy Centre power station into local council housing, schools and a leisure centre. Bunhill 2 will extend this network to more community buildings and a further 450 homes.
The central source of the Bunhill 2 heat network is a ventilation shaft (通风井)-a passage that is used to expel waste heat-in the abandoned (废弃的) City Road station. A heat pump designed by Ramboll will capture this extra heat from the ventilation shaft, before it is warmed to approximately 70 degrees Celsius. This will then be transferred (转移) into Islington’s heat network to supply heat and hot water to buildings.
According to the Greater London Authority, there is enough heat wasted in London to meet 38 per cent of the city’s heating demand. The expansion of district heating networks like Bunhill 2 could see this increase to 63 per cent by 2050.
“We believe that the use of large-scale heat in this way connected to urban district heating systems will play a major part in the Uk’s heating energy demand,” explained Lucy Padfield, director of District Heating at Ramboll.
“The use of heat pumps taking advantage of industrial waste heat sources is more carbon efficient than gas-fired combined heat and power, the usual source of heat for district energy schemes,” she continued. “I am convinced that with the increasing use of renewable power sources, large-scale heat pumps connected to district heating systems will play a major role in the future heating of cities in the UK.”
1. What can we learn about Bunhill 2 in London?| A．It is inspired by other cities in Europe. |
| B．It will be beneficial to London’s environment. |
| C．It can satisfy the whole city’s need for energy. |
| D．It is aimed at cooling the London Underground. |
| A．Rely on | B．Deal with. |
| C．Break down. | D．Drive out |
| A．Concerned. | B．Confident |
| C．Amazed | D．Disapproving |
| A．London’s special way to protect the environment. |
| B．The development of London’s district heating network. |
| C．Using waste heat from the underground to warm homes. |
| D．Ways to deal with the London Underground’s waste heat. |
7 . You can remember the face, but can't put a name to it. Many of us have been caught in this embarrassing situation. But researchers say it is often easier to remember someone's name than what they look like.
Twenty-four volunteers were shown 40 pictures of strangers, paired with random(随机的) names. They were given time to memorize the faces and names before being tested on which they thought they had seen before.
The participants could remember up to 85 percent of the names but only 73 percent of the faces. When they were shown a different picture of the same person, the participants could recall only 64 percent of faces, according to the study, led by the University of York.
That may be because faces are only recognized visually(视觉地), while names can be both spoken and written down so appear in our visual and audio memory. When people were shown famous people, they also remembered their names more accurately than their photographs. Co-author Dr Rob Jenkins, from the university’s psychology department, said, ''Our study suggests that, while many people may be bad at remembering names, they are likely to be even worse at remembering faces. This will surprise many people as it is against our initial understanding. Our life experiences with names and faces have misled us about how our minds work. '' Remembering names gets harder with age, leading to many uncomfortable moments for middle-aged people when they run into people they know.
But to study whether names are harder to recall than faces, the researchers, whose findings are published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, used a ''fair test'' where the participants were presented with strangers' names and faces.
1. What can we know according to the research in Paragraph 3?| A．It is certain that names are harder to recall than faces. |
| B．Remembering names is more easily than remembering faces. |
| C．Most participants can remember the face not the name to it. |
| D．The participants can recall 73% faces of the same person. |
| A．Age will weaken the ability to remember names. |
| B．Unlike faces, names are only recognized visually. |
| C．Faces can appear in our visual and audio memory. |
| D．Rob Jenkins has proved people can remember faces better. |
| A．Clear. | B．first. |
| C．Unusual. | D．Creative. |
| A．People can't remember strangers’ names and faces. |
| B．Recalling names is more difficult than remembering faces. |
| C．The researcher uses the same method to study another problem. |
| D．Whether names are harder to recall than faces is further proved. |
8 . Being able to take advantage of truly unlimited data is a smartphone user's dream, but everyone I've talked to about 5G is more excited about the usage unlocked by next - generation wireless devices. From smart home security to self - driving cars, all the Internet - connected equipment in your life will be able to talk to each other at lightning - fast speed with reduced delay.
"5 G is one of those forerunners, along with artificial intelligence, of this coming data age, ” said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research for the Consumer Technology Association. "Self - driving vehicles are emblematic in this data age - they show application of data completely. With one single task, driving, you have large amounts of data coming from the vehicle itself, and a variety of sensors (传感器)are collecting a lot of information to model its environment as it moves. It's pulling in data from other vehicles about conditions down the road. There's lots of data behind that task, which is why we need the speed and lower latency ((延迟).
AR glasses and virtual (虚拟的)reality headphones haven't yet been inside the mainstream, but tech companies are joyfully saying that such equipment will eventually replace our smartphones. With 5G, that could actually happen. This is notable because companies such as Apple are reportedly developing AR glasses to improve - or even replace - smartphones.
Ericsson showed at February's Mobile World Congress in 2019 how smart glasses could become faster and lighter with a 5G connection, because instead of being weighed down with components, the glasses could rely on outside equipment for processing power.
But don't get too excited. There's still a lot of work to be done in the meantime, including some necessary testing to make sure the radio plays nicely with basic systems and service construction so that 5G isn, t concentrated only in big cities.
1. What does the first paragraph focus on?| A．Potential of 5G. | B．The super speed of 5G. |
| C．Usage of smart equipment. | D．The future of smart equipment. |
| A．available | B．productive | C．representative | D．popular |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Optimistic. | C．Cautious. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To make radio play nicely. | B．To construct big 5G cities. |
| C．To do 5G trials effectively. | D．To expand 5G coverage fully. |
9 . The FDA has begun testing frozen berries for hepatitis A (甲肝) and norovirus (诺如病毒). The research, which started in November and is expected to last for 18 months, was prompted by four frozen-berry-related outbreaks in the U. S. between 1997 and 2018. The three hepatitis A outbreaks in the U. S. caused 405 people to get sick and 53 were in hospital, while the one norovirus outbreak made 136 people ill, according to the FDA.
The concern is that people don’t always cook the frozen berries before using them. Cooking would reduce or remove the pollution. Experts say the hepatitis A and norovirus could come from ill farm workers or polluted water or surfaces, like a harvesting basket. However, the FDA has given no specific guidance about how to prepare frozen berries meanwhile.
Frozen-berry virus outbreaks have been a bigger problem in Europe than in the U. S. , but this country needs to take action, too, according to DonSchaffner, a professor of food science at Rutgers University. His lab's recent research found that viruses can survive for two years frozen.
“Just because there have not been outbreaks, you should still keep a close eye on it,” he said, “Washing is not going to be 100% effective. What you really need is good agricultural practices on farms to make sure sick workers are not working on farms and highquality water is used.”
1. What does the underlined word “prompted” mean in Paragraph 1?| A．Influenced. | B．Attracted. |
| C．Caused. | D．Produced |
① sick workers in the farm ② poor-quality water
③ polluted harvesting tools ④ cooked frozen berries
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ |
| C．①②④ | D．①③④ |
| A．Americans don’t need to worry about the situation. |
| B．Washing the produce carefully is completely effective. |
| C．Viruses can survive in berries for at least two years. |
| D．High-quality water is important in preventing viruses. |
| A．The FDA is conducting a survey on frozen fruits. |
| B．Frozen berries may lead to the disease outbreaks. |
| C．Hepatitis a outbreak in the USA caused a great loss. |
| D．Frozen-berry virus outbreaks have been a big problem. |
10 . One in five people carry a “smart gene” variant (变体) linked to long lifespan, bigger forebrains and enhanced mental ability, researchers have found.
“We’ve known for a long time that people lose cognitive (认知) abilities as they age, but now we’re beginning to understand that factors like KLOTHO can give people a boost in aging. Genetic variation in KLOTHO could help us predict brain health and find ways to protect people from the diseases that happen to us as we grow old, like Alzheimer’s disease (老年痴呆症),” said senior author, Dena Dubal of University of California.
The KLOTHO gene affects a protein found in the kidneys and the brain that regulates many different body processes. About one in five people carry a single copy of the variant, known as KL-VS, which boosts levels of the protein and is associated with a longer lifespan and improved heart and kidney function. A small minority, 3% of the population, has two copies, which is linked to a shorter lifespan.
In the new study scientists scanned the brains of 422 men and women aged 53 and over who were also tested for the KLOTHO gene. They found that participants with a single copy of the gene variant also had a larger brain region known as RDLPFC, which is especially likely to shrink with age. Loss of neurons in this area may be one reason why older people are sometimes easily distracted and find it difficult to do more than one task at the same time.
Researcher Dr Jennifer Yokoyama said, “The brain region enhanced by genetic variation in KLOTHO is vulnerable (脆弱的) in aging and some mental disease. In this case, bigger size means better function. It will be important to determine whether the structure increase associated with carrying one copy of KL-VS can offset the cognitive shortage caused by disease.”
People who have one copy of a variant KL-VS tend to live longer and have lower chances of suffering a stroke (中风),whereas people who have two copies may live shorter lives and have a higher risk of stroke.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．People’s cognitive abilities do not decline if people have KLOTHO. |
| B．With the clear understanding of KLOTHO, Alzheimer’s disease can be cured now. |
| C．Genetic variation in KLOTHO could be helpful in treating mental disease in elderly people. |
| D．Genetic variation in KLOTHO could lead people to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. |
| A．have better kidney funtciton |
| B．have a shorter lifespan |
| C．have a higher level of the protein in his/her body |
| D．suffer from some cognitive disease |
| A．they have fewer neurons in the RDLPEC |
| B．their brain region is too large |
| C．they have two copies of the gene variant |
| D．they have more neurons in the RDLPEC |
| A．Prevent. |
| B．Balance. |
| C．Keep. |
| D．Promote. |
